Last month I shared with you that we needed to update our playspaces in our home as our boys are getting older and we have started to implement some changes. We have been in our current home nine years and we had nearly all of our furniture from way before then. In fact, we were still using towels, cuttlery and placemats that we were bought as wedding presents over 21 years ago.
We sat down and talked with the boys about what they wanted from the conservatory and what would encourage them back into it. In the interim we decided to take out the coffee table, update our home network with home plugs, so that the connectivity for the Xbox was better and so was Wifi connectivity and to start saving up for a new sofa and different storage as we can move away from the basket style we had and move towards open shelving so we can see our board games and other toys. We also to start saving to install some Smart Systems Aluminium Bifold doors to open up the room to the garden and to encourage all the kids to come into the room that way through the garden rather than walking right through the house, especially as you have to go through the sitting room and dining room to get to it.
We have always had a pretty open house when it comes to the boys and their friends. We want to encourage them to feel comfortable coming in and playing. I would rather them be here playing that not know where they are. That was why we had the conservatory built. We want the changes we make this year to ensure that they keep using the room well into their teens. It is a beautiful room and perfect for using all year round as we have heating and air conditioning installed.
We have already been making changes this year and weI purchased two new sofa’s from John Lewis in the sales and a couple of stunning throws to cover them. We also decided the time had come to pass on our triptrap highchairs to my nieces who have both recently given birth to beautiful baby girls. For anyone looking at buying a high chair, we can not recommend them enough. We have had ours for 11 and 10 years and they have been used every day so the cost per use is negligible! I believe they were our best ever baby purchases. Once the boys chairs had been passed on we started looking for and bought a new dining table and chairs from a local firm Barker and Stonehouse. We had only popped in and ended up buying them there and then thanks to Mini’s encouragement.
So what is up next for The Mad House? Well, we really need to replace the hall and stairs carpet as it is threadbare from all those times when the boys went down it in a cardboard box! We need new curtains for downstairs as ours are starting to show their age (well they are 15 years old). We are also looking at a shed for the garden and to redecorate all through. Then we need to start saving for THE BIG PROJECT, which will be the conversion of the garage to double the size of the kitchen, but I think that will take at least three years! There is something really grown up about buying furnituire.
These are photo’s of what my house really looks like! I haven’t staged a thing. As you can see the conservatory is well used and the boys do not put everything pack as they should, but this is family life. We are so lucky to love where we live and it looks so much nicer when the sun is shining, although you can see that the windows desperately need cleaning!
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